edahsallad Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 I'm a newbie to this board, and I'm looking for some advice in getting my 2600 hooked back up and working after being in my parents closet for ever. I have everything but the power cord to plug in to the wall. I'd like to go to the local Radio Shack and get a cord but I don't know what voltage this thing needs. Any ideas?? Thanks in advance for any help. Dallas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike OC Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 9v DC 500ma is the output. Radio Shack has them. They're also for sale all over the web. I have several that I got from thrift stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InanimateCarbonRod Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Just to add to Mike's comments - make sure it has a 3.5mm (1/8") plug with positive tip polarity. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 OR you can go to radio shack, get a 8 AA holder and a 9v connector, take a headphone jack, cut it, solder the hot of the headphone jack to the hot of the batteries and the ground to ground... AA's last a long time =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiggerthehun Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Just to add to Mike's comments - make sure it has a 3.5mm (1/8") plug with positive tip polarity. Jerry Yeah, make sure you get that plug in the right way - I blew out a 2600 by having it hooked to the negative tip... oops! (I'm an idiot.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edahsallad Posted July 16, 2004 Author Share Posted July 16, 2004 Wow, thanks for all the help so far. I got the plug from Radio Shack. I now have it hooked up but I can't get a good picture on the tv screen. I can barely see the game and the picture is constantly moving downward on the screen. Guess it's broke huh? Dallas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 OR you can go to radio shack, get a 8 AA holder and a 9v connector, take a headphone jack, cut it, solder the hot of the headphone jack to the hot of the batteries and the ground to ground... AA's last a long time =D Wouldn't that be 6 AAs in series? (1.5v x 6 = 9v) And do AAs have the necessary amperage? (I'm actually not sure what amperage alkalines can deliver) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike OC Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Check the channel selector on the Atari and on the TV to make sure they're both set the same. Using a direct connect RCA - F (75ohm) connector will give the best picture for RF. Radio Shack has them as well or you could buy them from here at the Atari Age Store. http://www.atariage.com/store/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 The atari can take up to 25V i believe, then it cuts it down to 5V. You need 8 AA to get the right amperage, but it lasts a long while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egdinger Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 I don't think it's broken, far from it infact. How old is the tv does it have a V.hold adjust ( I think thats what its called). And the weak and fuzzy picture, I'm sure that some one else can help with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 I don't think it's broken, far from it infact. How old is the tv does it have a V.hold adjust ( I think thats what its called). And the weak and fuzzy picture, I'm sure that some one else can help with that. Are you using a normal TV/Game Switchbox to hook the Atari up to your television? If so, I suggest going back to Radio Shack and buying one of these: This is a Coaxial (F-type) to Female RCA Adapter, and assuming they still sell them it's Radio Shack part #278-276. If not, we sell them in our store here. Using one of these in place of a switchbox will generally net you a much better picture. Also, if you're using channel 2, try channel 3 or vice versa (making sure you select the correct switch position on the Atari). Good luck! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edahsallad Posted July 16, 2004 Author Share Posted July 16, 2004 cool, cool, cool!!! I got it to work finally! I had to get a new coaxial selector, and now it works just fine! Thank you all very much for the help and advice! You just made my 6 yr. old daughters day, she thinks it's a blast and so do I. I also found a large box at my parents house full of the carts that we played as kids. I'll have to post what I found later on. Once again, thanks for helping out the newbie, I'm sure I'll be back around. Dallas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whisper Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Aaahhhhh There's nothing like seeing those old machines be restored to their original beauty again and to see people enjoying those old games I wonder if consoles with rotating media would still work well after years in a closet. I doubt it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wavemotion Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 The right amperage? I'm not sure you're using that term correctly Batteries have a voltage and an ampere-hour rating. There is no theoretical max "amperage" that can be drawn from a battery cell (though if you draw power too fast it can overheat and damage the cell...). A single modern 1.5V AA alkaline battery generally has a reasonably high capacity - probably close to 2 Ampere-hours at room temp. This means a device that requries 1.5V and draws 1 amp of current will last 2 hours with such a battery cell. If the device only draws 0.5 amps of current, it will last 4 hours. Having 10 batteries in series means that you will have 15V (10x the voltage) but still only have 2 Ampere-hours of capacity (because the batteries are drained equally in such a configuration). Theoretically, having 10 batteries in _paralell_ (as opposed to in series) means that you still only have 1.5V output but have increased your capacity to 20 Ampere-hours. The holders at radio shack hook batteries up in series - so the more batteries in the holder, the higher the voltage (8 Alkaline Batteries = 8 x 1.5V = 12V). It is entirely possible that with the 12V input (which is 3V higher than specified for the 2600), the Atari may draw less power (Power = Current x Voltage) thus giving you longer life from the battery pack. But that battery configuration by itself does not provide any additional power reserve over the 6 battery pack (and the extra voltage may do more to shorten the lifetime of the power regulator inside the Atari). Nicad cells are typically 1.2V so there it makes sense to use 8 of them in series to get the desired voltage. Plus... how many of you need portable power to your Atari these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Tomlin Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 If I was rigging up batteries like that, I'd probably use four NiMH D-cells and wire it to the back-end of the power supply, bypassing the regulator entirely. When using batteries of the correct voltage range, the regulator is nothing more than a space heater. I'm not sure about the 7800, though, as I recall that its power supply is more complicated and parts may depend on having the unregulated 9V available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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